Table syrup emulsion containing gum ghatti



United States Patent 8 Claims. (Cl. 99-142) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An edible, stable, pourable oil-in-water emulsion suitable for use as a table syrup is provided, and comprises an aqueous phase containing at least about 65% sugar solids, an oil phase containing edible oil in an amount of about 1-40% by weight of the emulsion, and gum ghatti in an amount of about 0.1-1.0% of the emulsion.

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 387,803 filed Aug. 5, 1964, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a pourable, oil-in-water emulsion specifically adapted for use as a table syrup and more particularly, to such an emulsion with improved resistance to separation of the oil and aqueous phases thereof.

Stabilized oil or fat-in-water emulsions have long been in commercial use in many arts, and particularly in the food industry, where such emulsions are marketed as salad dressings, sauces, candy creams and syrups. It has also long been recognized that an edible emulsifier and/or stabilizer is necessary in addition to the oil and water phases if those phases are to be blended into an emulsion which will not separate out for a reasonable period of time. Commonly used dispersants such as gelatin, caseinates and gum arabic have, therefore, been used with success in edible oil-in-water emulsions.

Recently, more sophisticated stabilizers-emulsifiers and viscosity agents have been used to advantage to disperse oil and water phases into an emulsion, particularly one which must be maintained at an acid pH level, so that the resulting emulsions will be stable over an extended period of time. As an example, in the booklet Algin at Wor published by Kelco Company of San Diego, Calif, various edible alginates are set forth as useful as stabilizers and emulsifiers in such food products as ice cream, cream cheese, fountain syrups, sherbets, frozen fruits, chocolate milk, icings, toppings, meringues and ice milk. In particular, algin derivatives which are marketed under the trademark Kelcoloid and which are propylene glycol alginates, are specified for use in foods such a syrups at acid pHs. Such agents act in an oil-in-water emulsion both to stabilize a dispersion of the oil and water phases and, optionally, to increase the viscosity of the emulsion.

Difficulties have arisen, however, when stabilizersemulsifiers such as carrageenin and lecithin are utilized in combination as stabilizing and emulsifying agents in products such as table syrups, which must of necessity undergo prolonged storage in bottles or other containers prior to use by the consumer. Thus, separation of the oil and water phases has been noted when a table syrup employing an oil phase such as butter remains on the shelves of the retail outlet for several months. In many instances, there is at least partial separation of phases, which phases cannot be completely put into solution by the consumer by shaking the bottle. This separation constitutes an important disadvantage of buttered table syrups and has met with consumer dissatisfaction.

Particular difficulties have been encountered in maintaining the stability of an edible oil-in-water emulsion using carrageenin as a stabilizer during successive freezethaw cycles, repeated freezing and thawing of the emulsion tending to result in separation of the oil and water phases. Such alternate freezing and thawing conditions might well be encountered in temperate climates during the winter as the emulsion is shipped in unheated vehicles and the temperature is above the freezing point of the emulsion during the day and below that point at night.

It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide a stabilized oil-in-Water emulsion suitable for use as table syrup, topping, or the like, which emulsion has improved stability against separation over prolonged periods of storage.

It is a specific object of this invention to provide an edible oil-in-water emulsion that exhibits marked resistance to separation of the oil and water phases under repeated freeze-thaw cycles.

The present invention is based on the discovery that gum ghatti can be utilized to stabilize an emulsion of oil and water phases in which the aqueous phase contains a quantity of sugar solids in excess of 65 percent by weight of that phase. Such high-sugar syrups are acknowledged to be difficult to stabilize. Gum ghatti has not heretofore been used for any such purpose and exhibits characteristics as a stabilizer and, possibly, an emulsifier, which are not found in prior art emulsifiers and stabilizers utilized to form oil-in-water emulsions containing relatively high percentages of sugar solids.

The present invention takes the form of a stable, pourable oil-in-water emulsion, and a method for preparing that emulsion. Broadly, the aqueous phase of the emulsion will contain at least about 65 percent sugar solids. The oil phase contains an edible oil in an amount of about 1 to 40 percent by weight of emulsion. The gum ghatti makes up about .1 to 1.0 percent of the emulsion.

In the method form of the invention, the process generally comprises blending an aqueous solution containing at least about 65 percent sugar, oil in an amount of about 1 to 40 percent by weight of the final emulsion and gum ghatti in an amount from about .1 to 1.0 percent of that emulsion. The blended materials are then homogenized to form a stable emulsion. The present method contemplates specific use in the preparation of an emulsion containing a relatively high percent of sugar solids, i.e., at least about 65 percent sugar solids in the aqueous phase.

Since it is primarily intended that the stable emulsion, which is an important part of the present invention, be adapted for food use, specifically for use as a table syrup, the quantities of some of the ingredients therein will be subject to variations in accordance with the particular use to which the syrup is to be adapted and the grade and flavor of the products to be manufactured. Table syrup in its most preferred form is a cane-corn syrup blend in which, in the present invention, butter and maple syrup are incorporated; it will be apparent that the amount of butter in the syrup, as well as the amount of maple syrup, will vary in accordance with consumer preference and the retail price at which the syrup is to be marketed. In addition, if the syrup is to be utilized to pour over ice cream and for general fountain use, as well as a topping for pancakes, wafiles and the like, it may be desirable to increase the sugar solids content of the aqueous phase of the emulsion well beyond 65 percent up to about percent or more, providing the syrup or topping is still pourable.

Consequently, while in its most preferred form the syrup is contemplated as having about 2 percent butter or other oil by weight of the emulsion, the amount of oil will vary from a preferred range of about 1 to 5 percent to a broad range of about 1 to 40 percent. In addition, where maple syrup is used as a fiavoring ingredient, the most preferred amount of such maple syrup used is presently about 2 percent by Weight of the finished emulsion. It will, of course, be apparent that a more expensive product would incorporate greater amounts of maple syrup, which is relatively expensive compared to a cane-corn syrup blend. While, as stated, the percentage of sugar solids in the aqueous phase will generally be at least about 65 percent, increased viscosity requirements will result in increased sugar content. The sugar content should not be so high that crystallization will occur at conventional storage temperatures or that the syrup will become nonpourable and must be spooned from its container.

The stabilizer utilized in the present composition of matter and method is gum ghatti, also known as Indian gum. It is an exudate from the stems of Aizogeissus latijolia, a large tree widely distributed in India and Ceylon. The gum has been determined to be an inorganic salt, primarily the calcium salt, of a polysaccharide acid, ghattic acid. It is soluble in water at room temperature to about 90 percent or more, the soluble portion having a molecular weight of 11,860 as determined by osmotic pressure measurements. Gum ghatti has been stated by Professors Smith and Montgomery in The Chemistry of Plant Gums and Mucilages, Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New York, NY. (1959) to resemble damson gum and cherry gum from the standpoint of component sugars and contains a high proportion of terminal L- 'arabofuranose units, but appears to differ from such gums in possessing a 1 6-linked galactose framework. The gum appears to be unique in its structure, and in stabilizing an oil-in-sugar syrup emulsion such as that which is part of the present invention, acts in a manner which is not characteristic of other gums and which is highly advantageous in establishing its use as a stabilizing agent.

The amount of gum ghatti which should be present in the emulsion in order to satisfactorily stabilize it will vary in accordance with the amount of oil in the finished emulsion. Broadly, the amount of gum ghatti will vary from about 0.1 to 1.0 percent, more preferably 0.3 to 0.5 percent of the emulsion. The optimum amount of gum ghatti has been found to be about 0.4 percent of an emulsion that has about 2 percent of butter therein.

Among the oils which can be used to form the present emulsion, in addition to butter or butter oil, are triglycerides such as corn oil, cotton seed oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil. If the emulsion is to be used as table syrup, it will be apparent that since table syrups are normally translucent, the refractive indices of the Water and oil phases may be approximately matched in order to avoid opacity in the table syrup and possible consumer resistance. In a salad dressing formed in accordance with the present invention, opacity would not be as undesirable as in a table syrup.

It has been found advantageous to incorporate in the emulsion an edible acid, such as citric acid, tartaric acid, adipic acid or fumaric acid. A buffer salt of an acid is usually present in order to maintain the acidity of the final product within desired limits. Preferred ranges of acidity are between pI-ls of about 4.5 to 5.5, most preferably between about 4.9 to 5.1. A pH on the acid side has been found advantageous in improving the flavor of the emulsion when it is used as a syrup or topping. Also, it will be economically desirable to have the pH at that range at which the gum ghatti is most soluble. Lecithin may also be utilized with the gum ghatti, and, if used, will constitute about 0.02 to 0.5 percent, preferably 0.06 to 0.09 percent of the emulsion.

According to the method of the present invention, a blend of materials, including sugar syrup, edible oil and gum ghatti in a requisite amount is made and the blend homogenized to a stable emulsion. A preferred method is to utilize sugar syrup to solubilize the gum ghatti in the aqueous phase and then separately add to that phase butter and lecithin and maple flavor, if desired. For example, gum ghatti can be added to cane syrup and put into solution therein, then blended with a basic syrup that consists of a cane-corn syrup blend plus maple syrup, citric acid, sodium citrate and sodium benzoate. After this blend has been formed, the oil phase including butter and lecithin are added and the whole blended to a dispersion. Homogenization will then take place.

The temperature at which the process of this invention is carried out will generally vary from about to 200 F. Thus the butter-sugar syrup solution should be within that temperature range, most preferably at a temperature of about F. By maintaining the temperatures of the various materials, a temperature of about 170 F. can be provided throughout the blending of the various syrups, and homogenization can also take place at a temperature of about 170 15., although such homogenization temperatures can vary from about 140 to F.

Homogenization pressures should be sufficient to form a relatively stable emulsion of the blended ingredients. Preferably, homogenization has been found most desirable when the first stage of homogenization takes place at a higher pressure than the second stage. Exemplarily, the first stage may be at a pressure of 4000 p.s.i.g. and the second stage at a pressure of 500 p.s.i.g. Alternatively, first and second stage pressures of 2500 and 1000 psig. might be maintained. In any event, homogenization should be carried out until the particle size of the oil globules is reduced to a point where the globules, which may be assumed to be round, have a diameter less than 3 microns. It is even more desirable if the diameters of the oil globules are reduced to less than 2 microns, and still better if they are less than 1 micron. Should it be desired to adjust the transparency or opacity of the emulsion, this can easily be accomplished by the well-known method of adjusting the refractive indices of the oil and water phases. In the absence of other optical phenomena, an emulsion will be transparent when the refractive indices of the oil and water phases thereof are matched.

The present invention will be better understood by reference to the following Working examples of a preferred method for preparing a table syrup and the syrup so prepared in accordance with my invention.

Example I Gum ghatti was added to cane syrup at 200 F. with the aid of a Venturi and held for 60 minutes at 170 F. with constant agitation. The cane syrup had a sugar solids content of 67 Brix and was in a quantity suificient to constitute 60 percent of the finished product. The gum ghatti was added in an amount equal to 0.40 percent of the finished product. Another syrup was separately formed by mixing and blending for 5 minutes a cane syrupcorn syrup blend, maple syrup, citric acid and sodium citrate. The cane-corn syrup blend was at 73 Brix and amounted to about 33 percent of the finished product. The amounts of maple syrup, citric acid and sodium citrate constituted 2.0, .02 and .06 percent by weight of the finished product. The two syrups were then blended together and the sugar solids adjusted to 67 Brix by the addition of water. This resulting syrup constituted the aqueous phase of the finished product and was held at a temperature of 170 F. Two percent butter and .08 percent lecithin were then added to the aqueous phase and the oil and aqueous phases blended for 5 minutes at a temperature of 170 F. The blended syrup was then passed into a Manton-Gaulin homogenizer at 170 F. with a first stage pressure of 4000 p.s.i.g. and a second stage pressure of 500 p.s.i.g. The diameter of each oil g-lobule, by which is meant the oil droplet, its immediately surrounding and adhering aqueous phase, and the interface zone between the droplet and its aqueous phase, was less than 2 microns. The buttered syrup so produced was then bottled and capped.

Example 11 The buttered syrup prepared in accordance with Example I had the following formula:

The pH of the buttered syrup was approximately 5.1.

An oil-in-water emulsion, such as the buttered syrup whose preparation and formula has been exmplarily set forth in in Examples I and II hereinbefore, has a major advantage over similar oil-in-water emulsions which have been establilized with most gums other than gum ghatti. For example, pilot plant samples of the buttered syrup described in Example II remained substantially unchanged after 12 weeks of once-a-week cycling between 0 F. and room temperature. During such cyling there was no evidence of emulsion instability such as appeared with similar samples utilizing carrageenin in lieu of gum ghatti as the stabilizer. Emulsion instability generally appears as a slight separation ring around the neck of the bottle. Samples of buttered syrup in accordance with Example II were exposed to extended periods of storage at 140 F. and likewise remained unchanged. Periodic microscopic analyses of the emulsion showed no significant change in the size of the fat globules, which range from 1 to 3 microns in size. After the 12 week cycling test between 0 F. and room temperatures (about 70 F.), the viscosity of the finished product remained constant, thus indicating lack of further degradation of the gum ghatti. This improvement the resistance of gum ghattistabilized buttered syrup to temperature changes was unexpected from a prior examination of the literature with respect to gums as stabilizers and emulsifiers.

It will be apparent that modification and alterations in the emulsion and process for preparing same disclosed and exemplified hereinbefore will prove obvious to those skilled in this art without departing from the scope of the present invention. All such modifications and alterations are deemed to be included within the purview of this invention which is to be limited only by the scope of the following, appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An edible, stable, pourable oil-in-water emulsion suitable for use as a stable syrup, comprising an aqueous phase containing at least about percent sugar solids, an oil phase containing edible oil in an amount of about 1 to 40 percent by weight of said emulsion, and gum ghatti in an amount of about 0.1 to 1.0 percent of said emulsion.

2. An oil-in-water emulsion as claimed in claim 1, in which said edible oil is butter.

3. An oil-in-Water emulsion as claimed in claim 1, in which said gum ghatti is present in an amount from about 0.3 to 0.5 percent of said emulsion.

4. An oil-in-water emulsion as claimed in claim 1, said emulsion further including a flavoring ingredient.

5. An oil-in-Water emulsion as claimed in claim 1, in which said aqueous and oil phases are emulsified whereby the oil globules in the emulsion do not exceed 3 microns in diameter.

6. An oil-in-water emulsion as claimed in claim 1, said emulsion further including an edible acid and edible buffer salt in amounts sufiicient to bring the pH of said emulsion to a range of about 4.5 to 5.5.

7. An oil-in-water emulsion as claimed in claim 6, in which the pH of the emulsion is about 4.9 to 5.1.

8. An edible, stable, pourable, oil-in-water emulsion suitable for use as a table syrup, comprising an aqueous phase containing about 65 to percent sugar solids, an oil phase containing about 1 to 5 percent butter by weight of said emulsion, and gum ghatti in an amount of about 0.3 to 0.5 percent of said emulsion. 

